View and comment on planning applications

To search on Public Access you will need a keyword, reference number, or single line of an address. You can also search by postcode, but not all submitted applications have a listed postcode.

Here is a detailed guide to using Public Access

When you are ready, here is the link to Public Access to view and comment on applications.

Comments need to be submitted in writing/email in order to be taken into consideration as part of the planning application process.

You can comment on planning applications using our Public Access system. Here is guidance for registering your details on Public Access.

Please note that the system is time sensitive and your session will automatically expire after 30 minutes. You are advised to draft your comments separately where possible and then use the copy/paste facility to place the text into the comment box.

Comments submitted will be sent directly to the Case Officer dealing with the application and taken into consideration as part of the application process. Comments must be made in relation to planning issues only. 

Any personal references and/or comments that could be viewed as defamatory, offensive or prejudicial will not be published, kept on record or taken into account and could result in action being taken against you. The Council disclaims responsibility for content posted directly onto its website via Public Access and reserves the right to remove any content considered to be inappropriate. Here is an example list of matters that can and cannot be taken into consideration.

Any comments made, including personal details submitted, can be seen by Councillors, the applicant and members of the public, and will be published on Public Access as part of the planning application.  Your comments cannot be kept as confidential. We will endeavour not to publish signatures and telephone numbers. All comments received will form part of a public document which will be available for public inspection, therefore do not supply details you do not want published. Comments submitted on Public Access in relation to an application arising from a planning enforcement investigation will still be publicly viewable, including the personal details submitted.

Other ways to comment

Alternatively, you can submit your comments to us by writing or email. Please include the reference number at the head of any letter or email.

Public Access requires routine periods of system maintenance to keep working. During maintenance, the system will be temporarily unavailable. We aim to publish periods of maintenance on this page.

ADVANCE WARNING

Public Access will not be available for viewing information or for commenting upon applications as follows:

• From 9:00am on Thursday 11 June 2026 until 6:00pm on Friday 12 June 2026
• From 8:00am on Monday 6 July 2026 until the afternoon of Tuesday 7 July 2026

We will seek to have the service reinstated as soon as possible. 

When the service is back up and running, shortcuts or favourites that had been previously made may no longer work. We therefore advise that following the upgrade that you access Public Access via the main Council website and recreate the necessary shortcut from there.

If you have any questions, or following the upgrade have any difficulty accessing Public Access, please contact the Development Management team.  Here are the contact details.  

Please note: Microsoft Edge is the default browser recommended.  Internet Explorer is not recommended for use with Public Access.

Please note Public Access will become temporarily unresponsive from time to time, typically in the late evening. This happens when the servers containing the information are being backed up. If you experience a period of unresponsiveness on the system, please wait a short time before trying again. If the problem persists, please report it to us.

You can report any issues you have via the 'feedback' function at the bottom of this web page. Please state which browser is being used if you can, so that the matter can be investigated.

Complete planning history details are not available online. However, you can request them.

Here are contact details for planning history requests.

The Council has screening and scoping opinions in both paper and electronic format and is in the process of transferring these to Public Access. Should you wish to view any requests during this transitional time please contact the Development Management team.  Here are the contact details.  

Most historical screening and scoping opinions, even if they were submitted prior to the application, have now been added to the subsequent planning application record. To find historic opinions use Public Access and the simple search facility in the normal manner.  

If you want to search for standalone screening and scoping opinions, which are not associated with a planning application, there are two ways.

1. Via Public Access
2. Scroll down to the boxes below Planning – Simple Search and select the Advanced tab
3. Under Application Details go to Application type and from the drop down to the side select Environmental Outcome Report – EIA or Environmental Scoping
4. Scroll down and select Search to view the relevant details

Some of our records are also mapped spatially so you can also view these this way:

1. Select the Map tab
2. Navigate to the area of interest and using the filter button (with the slider set to the relevant period) and view relevant records. Standalone opinions will have the EOR suffix

Please remember, if the proposal has been screened at the planning application stage, the opinion will be included in the documents associated with that application and will be on the website under the relevant planning application reference. This is accessed via the Simple Search on Public Access.

Please note screening and scoping opinions are not formal planning applications, they are a technical view on the information submitted. It is not possible for third parties to comment upon these opinions, and we have made this clear by adding information to the description of the development.

You can view planning matters determined at Planning Committee on the Meetings, Agendas and Minutes page. This lists the Planning Committee agendas and respective Minutes in date order.

Here are contact details for planning (Development Management).

For matters of planning policy, please see our Planning Policy pages.

We collect, hold and process information supplied by you in accordance with the Data Protection Act, to allow us to provide services effectively.

The Privacy Notice for Development Management relating to the submission of applications is available here.